Friday, February 28, 2014

Delighted to get this first entry from E coles! It's the first because it was the first I picked up out of the mail box… I have another few which I WILL blog later! I am in that awkward situation (again) where I have multiple blogs and never enough time so, just to clarify, I will be posting all the entries I receive on the blogspot for this mail art call: http://monosemikodachrome.blogspot.co.uk I won't have time to write blogs about each and every entry if I get a reasonable number but I will blog them here at the postal ledger when I have time. If you want to see them all, you'll need to join that blog!

This entry is a great kick-off piece with the stillness of this black and white collage juxtaposed with a flash of colourful, joyous tartan on the envelope! I hear the music! Thank you E coles.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A Jon Foster tape transfer, of course! So much that speaks to me in this mailing. The zebra's stripes, the red LIFE , words 'plastic, grease, reproduction' and all those pieces of words, peeling off a wall somewhere. So when I looked at the other side first I thought about Jon and teaching English and that word 'Absalom' leapt out at me - a girl reading Faulkner in a freshman seminar, and then I realised we were talking religion. I am oblivious. Once there was a girl who was given a copy of Exodus which she read while recuperating in an East African town that she finished and left in the room, not thinking that it might cause insult…Nothing insulting here, just another wonderful Jon Foster tape transfer! Lucky me!

As I look at this on the screen I wonder if this might be my first entry for Monochrome, Semitone, Kodachrome? The juxtaposition of black and white and colour and the shape of the mailing speaks of at least two of the prompts in the title.

I wonder where the dark figure is diving too and what sort of music he hears. Meanwhile, the joy of the swimming figure, bobbing up for air, arms in a heart, conjures up different music altogether. Many thanks! As you can see, the stamps weren't franked, so I have no clues about where this mail artist comes from.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Inside my wonderful Legends mailing from Marie Wintzer was this poem and image. I wanted to see the homage film (again) before posting it. I wanted to think about it longer.I can't remember where I saw My Beautiful Launderette the first time. It was in that period somewhere between New York, Kenya, Oxford or Rome. In each place I was amidst and aware of cultures coming together and being part of that, but also of intolerance beyond my own life. I've carried the film title around in my head, forgetting the detail but remembering it as significant. Seeing it again was a gift. Watching things in a different niche of time makes things look diffferent. Patrick says it is 'of its time.' I forget how different attitudes were, even in my lifetime… even in Britain.I love the way Marie manages to capture the scenes in so few words. She takes me on the journey with words that conjure up the era. I'm there, wanting things to go differently and eventually it's all so sad…Love the image too!

What a beautiful aesthetic piece I wish I knew who to thank. If you know, please let me know…It's haptic, asemic (because I can't read the letters or words, even though they are letters and words, I think), curious, full of time.This is sort of mail art that makes me want to write, to tell a story, to time travel.

Kat proved that she is a real pro at keeping track of dates and acting on them in her amazing birthday mailings for Guido's Birthday Mania. I received a slew of birthday mail art but I was not alone. It was at least a 365 of birthdays! I made a stab at doing a few, but why should mail art be any different; I'm just not a follower of dates… so Kat's mailings are that much more special for me!I don't know how many valentines Katerina sent out but I am very pleased to be one of the lucky recipients! The graphic nature of this valentine seems just right and the stamps and stamping are fun. Many thanks Kat!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

A wonderful surprise arrived in my letter box yesterday! I sent Laurence a silly little book about a year ago and received this in reply! I will enjoy going through my treasures and it sparks an idea for a few days I'm spending in a school for World Book Day . Visit Laurence's mail art page: http://lo-post.tumblr.com and google her and look at her life as a writer of children's books!

Pia Brandt has a distinctive style - that's lucky because it helped me to identify this unsigned piece. It has a timeless quality that I associate with women and their under garments, or maybe the sky? What do you see in it?

Carina and I have been exchanging journals. Mine was experimental and reflected on a period of time, but was only a day's worth of thoughts. Carina sent me a big fat beauty which I can't tell you anything about. I am sworn to secrecy. Since this packaging made its way through the post, visible to prying eyes, I thought you might like to see what the postman saw. Thank you Carina, it is wonderful to have an insight into the life of this Finish artist and I will be responding soon.

Whenever someone tells me (unequivocally) how to think, I bristle. Here Suus does it in such a way that I smile! There is certainly a case that anything can be mail art… This definately is, although I have an urge to do something to it to make it into a coaster so it is used and appreciated! Thank you Suus.

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About Me

I'm an artist-educator who uses imagery in all that I do, from painting, drawing, print-making and mail art to reflective journals around action research in schools. I believe in creating learning environments that are democratic, and collaborative where we are honest, open and caring.